The story..
I have been helping a friend develop a mini sub for r/c. Called Aquaflite, it is heavily inspired by the Deepflight Aviator.
Although the prototype design has full bubble domes and its motors are mounted on the pylons near the stern ..I just wanted to be different with mine!

So having been supplied with the basic kit mouldings I set about converting it to a wet sub, more like something from a James Bond film.
The two frogmen are basically from bath toys that I have adapted.
I still need to put more detail onto the sub. And I may move the motors up to the as designed positions on the pylons. I liked the idea of having my motors underslung, but it was difficult to do wthout spoiling the lines underneath. The jury's still out on that. Also my 4 rudder version turns very well, but I'm not sure if it is because I am getting prop wash directly onto them, or simply because there are 4 of them!

Well I am having fun tinkering .

I would like to know any thoughts you might have about my model, and the mini-sub as a marketable concept..

Hi Steve - looks like a cool project. SubRon6-er Dave Hampton has taken a HFM Deep Dive VI (not a Hasboro toy as I mistakenly said earlier! ) and extensively modified it and added a couple of GI Joe type divers.

Last edited by TMSmalley on Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:03 am, edited 4 times in total.

Nice! Thanks Tim.
..is Dave's based on a real vehicle It looks quite believable with that compact little periscope like that. I have seen a photo of a real craft called SDV Swimmer Delivery Vehicle, which deploys from a mother submarine hatch. But since it is a very sensitive subject not much info on them. Not surprising I guess.

I toyed with the idea of adding some sort of periscope design on mine, so I would could have a scope to look at when submerged. Fortunately though being so bright the whole craft can easily be seen even when the water is at its murkiest. (to the pool bottom is only about 4 ft) I must say seeing the prototype at speed under the water is very exciting. So far mine has been slow since I was unable to get the recomended motors. The low drain 385's I put in were not up to the job for top performance - but all that is about to change as I bought some Graupner Speed 400's at the boat show last weekend . Now if the frosty weather keeps away on the weekend I might get to try them out.

I would love to see these babies go in a deep swimming pool. I did not fit the ailerons on mine, (I am hoping that the dihederal of the wings will roll the sub automatically during turns), but ordinarily they have ailerons so the sub can perform rolls and loop the loops.

Sub culture wrote:Perhaps you might consider doing both. Market a full kit, which would appeal to newcomers or those who just want a full package, and a 'lite'(sic) kit for more experienced modellers who will probably want to spec their own hardware.

One thing I would change are the front vanes (wings?). They have dihedral, which to me doesn't look right. The deepflight aviator has anhedral, which looks meaner and more like a jet fighter.

Andy

Andy, interesting that you mention the dihedral wings..What happened is the first few fibreglass hulls were pulled out of the mould too quickly and as the resin set the wings pulled up! On the plug and mould they are straight. So the proper design will be anhedral, as you say.

I thought I'd go with the dihedral as an experiment - I'm hoping I'm right in thinking a dihedral will set the craft into an automatic roll when turning...I'll be glad if it does. Of course fitting ailerons and another servo is extra work (which I am hoping to avoid)

Sub culture wrote:Have you got some shots of the inside? Has it got a tube for the gubbins, or is it sealed off with hatch of some kind?

The hull comes in two pieces top and bottom with an additional clear canopy moulding.
Also provided is a vac formed box and lid which fits inside the hull for the WTC. Although I made a replacement lid from Perspex for mine - so I can check what's going on inside. The lid is sealed down and made watertight using freezer tape. Surprisingly effective and simple. But it has to be fitted with care. I have an air inlet tube fitted into my WTC so I can blow to make sure the seal is good before I launch.
The WTC box has plenty of space to fit a standard NiCad pack and the other R/C electronics. The box is also wide enough for three standard servo's side by side (to allow for the working ailerons)

Since the control surfaces and pushrods are all in the top half of the hull the WTC is also fitted in the top half, but upside down. Access is gained by turning the model over on its stand and removing the bottom hull section. This exposes the WTC and inner workings. Peeling the tape off the WTC releases the inner lid and opens up the whole WTC box.

I have one of the Remco Frogman toys myself Dave. Jim Butt has one too. We have talked before about doing an R/C version. I look foreword to seeing how you make out. My original one I got when I was a kid was lost many years ago. I purchased this one on ebay about 6 years ago. You can get big bucks for them if they are complete. BD.

There are quite a few original GI Joe Sea Sleds on ebay, like the other Dave was saying, the older toys like your Frogman carry a nice value to them. So if you wanted to preserve the value of your toy, this might be an alternative. You could pick up a Joe sled and R/C it, there are also lots of figures available to make it more scale looking. This one is only $16. on ebay (just a thought)

I cut a hole in the top and put section of 1 1/2" section of PVC pipe and used a rubber cap to seal it. This way I don't have to break the seal to charge the batteries. The smaller box has the batteries and switch for the lights.